The Other Half Of Me
by firefliesinlove
Summary: BakuraRyou, Yaoi, Character Death : An incident kills one of the two... Will there be hope in the future for the two to be reunited again? Prologue has been revised and reuploaded, and chapter 8 has been added!
1. Prologue: Other Half Of Me

**The Other Half (Of Me)**

This fanfic is based on the song 'The Other Half (Of Me)' by 'Within Temptation.' It was a wonderful song, and it really influenced me to write. I must warm you: there _will_ be a character death!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters or related stuff with it… So ha! 'Cause if I did, well, you know… BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! You'd see what I'd do… You'd _ALL_ see! Bwahahahahahahaa! But I don't own it… too bad, huh?

* * *

/_Over the hills, lies a new beginning…  
Over the hills  
__Over the hills, there is a way I know it  
Over the hills/_  
-Ryou

* * *

Ryou stumbled on his feet as he tried his best to keep up with Bakura. '_Only a few more miles… Only a few more…_' He thought to himself as his legs seemed to get heavier and heavier.

They only needed to walk for a few more hours, perhaps a full day at the most, until they finally reached the closest town. They were running from the law in a small town just south of the great Nile river. Bakura had stolen a loaf of bread from a small market in that village, and they had been on the run from the guards for nearly a whole week.

"How much… How much longer… Will it take…" Ryou coughed out, trying to catch Bakura's attention. He turned around without stopping and spoke quietly.

"Longer. Much longer." He growled, and turned back around.

"You could stop now… Tell them it wasn't you… Tell them it was me…" Ryou said in his hoarse voice. He hadn't had a drink in what seemed like years to him. Bakura shook his head in disbelief at the words of his light.

"Sorry…" Ryou mumbled as he stumbled again, and fell to the ground, face first. Bakura stopped suddenly, frowned, and went back to Ryou, and leaned over him.

* * *

\_You can't bring all the gloom_\  
-Bakura

* * *

He flipped his light half over and looked down at his paled face, and at his cracked, broken and bleeding lips.

"Just… Keep going… They can catch me, and… And they'll think I'm you…" Ryou trailed off and closed his eyes as he started to cough again.

"Baka Hikari." Bakura muttered as he frowned again. "But you have a point." He seemed to be lost deep in thought as he tried to figure out why he had even bothered to stop at all. '_Why…?_'

* * *

/_Your heart is frayed and so empty_/  
-Ryou

* * *

Ryou opened his eyes again, and looked up at Bakura's blank expression staring down at him.

"You're being stupid again, Bakura. Just go." Ryou grabbed Bakura's shoulders, pushed them away with the only strength he had left, then let his arms drop to his sides as he found he could no longer do much of anything. "Imagine what you can do with your life when I'm no longer in the picture! You could start your own gang of thieves without having to drag me along; you won't have to save me from anyone; you won't have to deal with me being the weak person I am…" He trailed off and frowned in pain.

"Just imagine… And I'll be back with my sister again." He swallowed as a lump in his throat got a little bigger and tears stung his chocolate brown eyes. "I've missed her so…"

* * *

\_You glorify the future_\  
-Bakura

* * *

Bakura shook his head and sighed. "You're really stupid, you know that?" He growled, and pulled Ryou into his lap. "You can't die. Not as long as I'm here. And besides, if you died, I wouldn't be able to live… The darkness cannot live without the light."

He sighed again, and tightened his grip on Ryou's shoulders when his light closed his eyes.

* * *

/_Living in a different world than me_/

-Ryou

* * *

"Bakura… Just go…" Ryou coughed again and a bead of blood trickled slowly out of the side of his mouth and down his chin. "You don't need me, remember? You lived without me once before… In the sennen ring…" Ryou unbuttoned the top of his shirt and tugged on a golden chain until the beautiful ring appeared out in the open. It shone in the moonlight, each sparkle of light a promise of life.

He pulled it off of his head with a lot of effort, and held it with both of his hands. "Remember?"

* * *

\_The journey ends in death_\  
-Bakura

* * *

"You're… dying…" Bakura said softly as he brushed his fingers over Ryou's iced cold hands. Something suddenly darkened in the back of his eyes. "You're _really_ dying, aren't you…?" He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. '_He's… dying… My Ryou… My light… My other half…_'

* * *

/_You are giving up so easily_/  
-Ryou

* * *

"M-maybe I am… But Bakura… You can still live. You still have your life ahead of you. However long that may be." The tears in his eyes threatened to spill. He kept them back as long as he could, trying to prove to Bakura that he wasn't as weak as he had thought. "You can live without me, you can! You _can_." He repeated himself in an attempt to convince not only Bakura but himself as well. '_He can… I know he can! He's not weak like me! He's – he's _strong.'

* * *

/\_You are the other half of me_/\  
-Bakura/Ryou

* * *

"You can't go." Bakura whispered as he pulled Ryou's frail body closer to his. He held him gently, as if the fragile boy might suddenly dissolve into a thousand tiny specs of dust at any second.

"I have to… Let me go… please, Bakura. This is what I want. What I-" He swallowed again and a few tears fell from his eyes and slid down his pale face. "What I need."

"No you don't." Bakura growled as his hands clenched into fists.

* * *

/_Over the hills_/  
-Ryou

* * *

"Please, Bakura. P-please let me go. This has to happen. You n-need to leave, go now!" He exclaimed, scared at the sudden actions from his darker half. He was being gentle. '_Why…?_'

* * *

/_Over the hills_/  
-Ryou

* * *

He didn't receive an answer from his other half and started to cry. "Bakura, _please!_ They could be here any minute! You need to go now! I'll only slow y-you down!"

* * *

/_Over the hills_/  
-Ryou

* * *

"Bakura…" He was trembling slightly as he reached out his hand, and brushed it against Bakura's cheek. Bakura seemed startled at the sudden contact between the two, and he caught Ryou's hand in his own before it fell.

* * *

/_Over the hills_/  
-Ryou

* * *

"Over the hills… It's only over the hills…" Ryou coughed again, and stared at the difference between his hand and Bakura's. His was so tiny compared to his darker half's. He felt so much less significant than Bakura. His other half had a fate which was yet to be played out, and his own was coming to an end. He could feel it. He could feel the darkness as it consumed his light.

"I – I can't." Bakura stuttered. "You – You're coming with me." Ryou smiled sadly, and pulled Bakura's hand down along with his until it was close to his face. He kissed his other's hand softly.

"I can't…" He closed his eyes as another wave of pain passed over him.

* * *

\_We are drifting apart_\  
-Bakura

* * *

"Ryou…" Bakura mumbled as he stared down at him. "You can't… You just can't."

* * *

/_Chilled to the marrow, cause you don't want to go_/  
-Ryou

* * *

"Go… Please, go, B-Bakura. You _must_!" Ryou heard a distant shouting coming closer and closer to their current position. "I'll be f-fine, Bakura. And I'll always be watching over you, 'Kura."

* * *

\_Cause we've got a different wish at heart_\  
-Bakura

* * *

"Please stay." Bakura mumbled urgently as he pulled Ryou into an embrace. "Stay with me. I – I need you." Bakura felt something give a painful tug to his heart and he frowned sadly. "Please don't go…"

* * *

/_The amulet guides us to the other side_/  
-Ryou

* * *

"I have to, Bakura… But I – I'll try to come back one day, 'Kura. But please, go now! Go! I-if you don't… If you get caught…" Ryou bit his lip as a few more tears found their way down his cheeks.

"You…" Bakura swallowed and licked his dry lips. "You can't come back after you… After you die…"

* * *

\_When I go down it's you who'll bleed_\  
-Bakura

* * *

'_Will it hurt it that much If I don't go? Will he be the one suffering if I am thrown in jail? I can't let him down… But I can't let him die, either…_' A lone tear trickled down his right cheek and startled the two of them.

* * *

/_I'm not scared to die, as long as I'm with you_/ Ryou

* * *

"Bakura… Please go… And don't cry, it'll only make things harder for the both of us…" Ryou gave Bakura's hands a gentle but reassuring squeeze.

* * *

/\_You are the other half of me_\/  
-Bakura/Ryou

* * *

"But you… You'll… You're going to die…" Bakura said in frustration. "You can't go… Not yet! No _yet_!"

* * *

_/Over the hills, lies a new beginning  
Over the hills  
Over the hills, there's a way I know it  
Over the hills/_  
-Ryou

* * *

"Please go, Bakura… But… Please take this and keep it safe. I'll return, I promise." Ryou took Bakura's hand and placed his Sennen Ring into his hand. He pulled Bakura's head down and whispered into his ear. "Keep it safe for my return…I – I love you, 'Kura…"

His whole body suddenly went limp as a final tear slid down his pale features. Bakura shook with anger, frustration and sadness. He clutched his other half's body closer to his and sobbed. After a few moments the shouts grew even closer and he could see a few guards off in the distance.

He laid down his hikari's body in the bushes, wrapped his cloak over his body, and placed a single white flower in his ice cold hands.

"Goodbye, my Ryou… Know that I love you, too… My Ryou… _My_ light… The other half - of _me_…" He whispered into the cool night's breeze before he disappeared over the tall, sandy hill, the Sennen Ring still in his grasp. He glanced back only once, to see a single star off in the distance of the moonlit sky appear and glow more brightly than any other that night. "_Until we meet again._"

* * *


	2. Secrets of the Millennium Ring: Part 1

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_  
**The Other Half (Of Me)**  
_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_  
  
**Warning**: Yaoi in this chapter! [_MalikxMarik_]  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Chapter 1 – The Secrets of the Millennium Ring

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  It was a cloudy morning when the silver haired boy, Ryou, woke up suddenly from a nightmare. It had been the same nightmare for the past couple of years, over and over, making the poor boy exhausted. The thing that bugged him the most about it was the fact that he could never remember the whole dream the next morning, only flashes of someone quite similar to him in his mind.  
  
  He sat up in his bed, and rubbed the side of his slightly aching head before he swung his legs over the bed, and stood up slowly.  
  
  Ryou stretched his arms and his legs then walked out of his room, and down the hall to the bathroom. He took his time getting washed because school had already ended a couple of weeks before, and the summer holidays were just getting started.  
  
  He got changed then grabbed a towel as he left the bathroom, and dried his hair as carefully as he could; he still had a slight headache.  
  
  Before he could finish drying his silver hair, there was a knock at the front door. He ran over to it, and pulled the door open. There was a mail man at the door, with a package in his hands, and a smile on his face.  
  
  "Package for a Mister…" He fumbled with the package, checking for the name, then smiled as he saw it again. "For a Mister Ryou Bakura."  
  
  "That's me." Ryou said quietly, then thanked the man as he was given the package, and closed the door behind himself. "Hmm… I wonder what it is."  
  
  He sat down on his couch, and off the brown packaging. Underneath was a beautiful golden box with Egyptian carvings on the side. A small key fell out of the brown papers as he was putting them on the table in front of him. He picked it up, his eyes full of curiosity and wonder.  
  
  He slid the key into the front of the box, and turned it, his heart beating a little faster. He pushed open the top of the box, and gasped as he saw what was inside. It looked to him like some sort of dream catcher, only there was a pyramid in the middle of the ring with an eye in the middle of that. Several pieces of gold hung from different spots of the bottom half of the ring. He picked it up carefully, and inspected it closely.  
  
  He looked back in the box, and noticed a small note with handwriting on it. He picked it up, and read it. 'Dear Ryou, I know it's a little late, but here's your birthday present. I hope you like it! -Dad' Ryou put the note back in the bottom of the box, and put the box onto the table.  
  
  "It's beautiful…" Ryou breathed as he looked back at the golden ring in his hands. There was a golden chain attached to it, making it look like a perfect necklace. He bit his lip, unsure of why he felt the need to keep it so close to him. He smiled, and put it over his neck. He looked at it for a few seconds before he closed the box, and locked it with the small key.  
  
  After a few moments of staring at the box, he got up off the couch, and went over to the front door. '_I'll go for a walk._' He decided, and put on his shoes.  
  
  He locked the door, and walked down the sidewalk of his street. He was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the dark grey clouds forming in the sky that were covering the sun. There was a streak of lightning somewhere off in the distance, but only a soft rumbling came a few moments after. A small raindrop landed on Ryou's nose, and broke him out of his thoughts.  
  
  "Uh oh…" He stopped suddenly when he noticed that he didn't have a clue where he was anymore. "Where on earth _am_ I?!?" He cried out when he noticed several large apartment buildings in front of himself.  
  
  Ryou nearly had a heart attack when, all of a sudden, the ring around his neck started to glow, and raised up and off of his chest a little bit. All of the pieces of gold that were hanging off of it pointed to his left. He was a little scared by what it was doing, but he didn't feel like staying where he was, caught in the middle of a storm.  
  
  He grabbed the ring, and followed the directions that the gold pieces pointed towards. It started to rain even harder, and he started to run, scared by the fact that the lightning was so close that he could feel the ground shaking every time it hit something.  
  
  He was relieved when he finally found himself on his own street, and didn't need to look at the ring to see where he needed to go anymore. He let go of the ring, and let it dangle over his shirt as he unlocked the door as quickly as he could manage. When he got inside, he slammed the door behind himself, and let out a sigh. '_What just happened…?_' He rubbed the side of his head as he felt his headache coming back. He looked down at the golden ring, completely puzzled by what it had done, and sat down on the couch once more.  
  
  Before he knew what was going on, his eyes were half closed, and he was lying down, the ring still in his grasp. He fell into a dreamless slumber, much to his relief.  
  
*******************************************************************  
  
  "Hey, Marik, did you say that there were other Millennium items, too?" A sandy colour haired boy asked quietly as he stood in front of a mirror, staring down at something.  
  
  "Yeah… Why?" A taller, sandy colour haired boy walked out of the shadows, and pulled the shorter boy around so that they were facing each other.  
  
  "Because… I was just curious. What do the other ones do?" He questioned Marik, who sighed.  
  
  "There's the Millennium Puzzle, which-"  
  
  "I know what that one does, you've told me so much about that one already… How about that ring one?" The shorter boy smiled when Marik narrowed his eyes.  
  
  "The Millennium Ring?" He nodded. "Well, it's quite useful when you're in a tight spot and you don't know which way to go… It can show you the direction of where you need to go." Marik growled when the other smirked. "Why…?"  
  
  "Oh, I was just curious, that's all… And there was a boy in front of our apartment with a golden thing around his neck that was glowing and pointing to his left." He said quietly, amused by the look on Marik's face.  
  
  "What?? There was someone out there with a Millennium item and you didn't tell me??" Marik's eyes grew wide, and his jaw dropped.  
  
  "It doesn't matter. I know where he went. I've seen him by his house before."  
  
  "Malik, you little _stalker_." Marik messed Malik's hair a little, a psychotic smile on his face.  
  
  "_I'm_ not the stalker, _you_ are." Malik pressed his index finger against Marik's chest.  
  
  "No fair, that was a long time ago." Marik whined.  
  
  "No, you remember when you first saw me? When you saw I had the other Millennium Rod?" Marik nodded, and Malik continued. "You stalked me for six months before we actually _met_." Marik grinned.  
  
  "Oh, yeah, now I remember." He laughed nervously.  
  
  "Why did you do that for _six_ months??" Malik asked, a suspicious look on his face.  
  
  "Uh, well, uh… Heh… You were so _stalkable_, Malik." Marik wrapped his arms around Malik's waist, and pulled him closer.  
  
  "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Malik asked, his cheeks turning a light shade a pink.  
  
  "That would be a good thing. But if anyone else stalks you… Tell me." Marik pulled Malik so close that their bodies were touching slightly.  
  
  "Um… ok…" Malik mumbled as Marik kissed his forehead.  
  
  
  
**********************************************************************  
  


YAY! No deaths in this chapter! ^_____^ But I still can't believe I actually killed him in the prologue ;_; .  
  
Bakura: *glares*   
  
Okay, there's more, too, don't worry! *dodges Bakura's fist* Ah!  
  
Please Review! ^___^


	3. Secrets of the Millennium Ring: Part 2

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_  
**The Other Half (Of Me)**  
_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_  
  
Chapter 2 – The Secrets of the Millennium Ring (Part Two)

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  Ryou woke up to a knock at his front door, and he stretched his arms slightly before he got up and off of the couch. He dragged himself all the way to the door, still half asleep. Ryou rubbed his eyes a little bit before he pulled open the door.  
  
  "Finally! What were you doing? Sleeping!?" One sandy haired boy, taller than himself, glared down at him. He spoke with quite an Egyptian accent, and his eyes widened when he saw the silver haired boy looking up at him.  
  
  "Um… yes?" Ryou frowned and slightly cocked his head to the side. "Do I know you?"  
  
  Another boy, a little bit shorter than the first sandy haired boy, stepped out from behind the first one, and Ryou immediately recognised him.  
  
  "Probably not. He's not from around here." The shorter boy spoke with a slight Egyptian accent. "Hi, my name's Malik Ishtar."  
  
  "Oh. Hello, Malik." Ryou gave him a short smile. "Did you want something?" He suppressed a yawn as he spoke.  
  
  "We were curious about an item that you possess. It's quite valuable, and we just wanted to have a look-see." Malik smiled a little psychotically after he spoke.  
  
  "Um… what item?" Ryou scratched the side of head and yawned.  
  
  "A very rare and valuable Egyptian Millennium Object." The taller one growled.  
  
  "Um… Egyptian… oh! You mean my Ring?" Ryou grinned sheepishly as he realised it was still around his neck, although it was under his shirt. He pulled it out from under his shirt, and looked down at it.  
  
  "Yes, that." Malik made a grab for it, but the taller one pulled his arms back, and pinned them to his sides.  
  
  "You'll have to excuse Malik… he can get a little… Overwhelmed at times." The tall one smirked. "Oh, and by the way, my name's Marik." Ryou nodded.  
  
  "I'm Ryou. Ryou Bakura." Ryou smiled at the two, and stopped when he noticed the look on Marik's face. He looked a little shocked and disbelieving. "What is it?"  
  
  "Bakura, did you say?" Marik's face looked slightly pale, considering his tanned skin.  
  
  "Hai." Ryou looked at the two curiously. "Why?"  
  
  "Oh, nothing." Malik nudged Marik's side, breaking him from his thoughts. They both smiled psychotically.  
  
  "Can we see that?" Malik pointed towards the Millennium Ring. Ryou nodded, and pulled it off of his neck, and handed it to Malik. The two Egyptians examined it, and nodded to each other as if they were having an invisible conversation. After a few moments Ryou felt the need to grab it back, and hold it close to himself, to protect it, although he didn't have a clue as to why he would feel that way towards the Ring.  
  
  Ryou clenched his teeth, and folded his arms across his chest. He felt as though the very air that he was breathing was being sucked out of his body, and he started to feel light headed. Malik looked at him curiously for a moment, then handed the Millennium Ring back to Ryou.  
  
  Ryou sighed with relief when he put it back around his neck, and felt the familiar feeling of slight warmth and protection.  
  
  "You alright? You looked a little pale." Malik eyed him suspiciously.  
  
  "Oh." Ryou laughed a little. "It's probably nothing. I'm usually pale."  
  
  "All right. Can we come in?" Malik peered over Ryou's shoulders, and looked inside.  
  
  "Sure, I guess…" Ryou took a few steps back, and stood aside, and they walked in after him.

  "Jeez, it's cold in here!" Malik exclaimed as a shiver ran down his spine.  
  
  "Really? I hardly notice it at all anymore." Ryou said with a smile as he gestured towards the couch. All three of them sat down on the couch.  
  
 "Where are your parents? Are they out?" Malik looked around and was a little shocked at how clean everything was compared to his apartment.  
  
 "No… My mother died when I was young." Ryou bit his lip before he continued. "My father is in Egypt, on an archaeological dig. That's how I got this."  
  
 "Oh." Malik and Marik exchanged glances for a moment before they turned back and looked at Ryou once more. "Have you ever seen anyone who remotely resembles yourself?"  
  
 "No… I don't think anyone in the world looks like me. I'm a lot more pale than every one else I've ever come across." Ryou smiled and rubbed the rest of the sleep from his eyes.  
  
 "Alright. But if you do, tell no one but us. You have to promise us that you won't, alright?" Malik leaned forward, a look of determination on his face.  
  
 "Okay…" Ryou looked at them suspiciously.  
  
 "Hey, you have any grub around here?" Marik rubbed his stomach, which took the few seconds of silence to growl in protest of having eaten no food since the day before.  
  
 "Sure, but not much. I could make some popcorn, and I've got a bit of fruit if you'd like." He mumbled a few inaudible words to himself as he led them to the kitchen.  
  
 "You're a little too trusting aren't you?" Malik muttered between bites out of the watermelon that lay on the plate in front of all three of them.  
  
 "What do you mean?" Ryou watched them eat, intently.  
  
 "Well, two complete strangers come to your door, and you treat them like company, and give them free food and let them see your valuables." Malik laughed.  
  
 "Oh. You just seemed like nice people, that's all." Ryou blushed slightly, and stared down at the table. "And I hardly have any visitors…"  
  
 "It's all right." Malik looked at Marik, then back to Ryou. "Why _is_ it so cold in here?"  
  
 "I can't afford the heater in the summer. Only in the winter if I'm really desperate." Ryou folded his arms across his chest, and watched his guests intently again.  
  
 "Oh… Hey, you want to come stay with us for a night? I'm sure it would do you some good to get out of here and sleep in the warmth for once…" Malik looked at Marik, who was frowning at him.  
  
 "I don't know… I don't think I should leave my house…" Ryou looked at them uncomfortably.  
  
  "Come on, it could be like… Like a sleep over!" Malik smiled, and Ryou shrugged, still unsure. "Come on, I expect you to come with us. I'll help you pick out some stuff to bring. Come on!" He jumped up, grabbed Ryou's arm, and Ryou led him to his room a little reluctantly.

  
 They grabbed some of his clothes, a few games, and shoved them all into a bag. They ran down the stairs, and met Marik at the front door.  
  
 "Arigato for letting me come over. I've never had a sleep over before!" Ryou exclaimed excitedly, having completely forgotten the Ring still dangling around his neck. They smiled at him, and he locked the door behind him as they left. They walked down the sidewalk until they reached a motorcycle. Marik climbed onto it, and Malik went on in front of him. Ryou looked at it uncertainly. He had been terrified of motorcycles ever since he was a child and had seen one in an accident right in front of his very eyes. The driver of the motorcycle had died on scene. It was one of the most frightening things he had ever seen.  
  
 "Coming?" They both looked at him behind their helmets. Malik smiled.  
  
 "I-I don't-I-I've never…" He trailed off, and walked towards it slowly.  
  
 "Come on, get on right behind me. You can hold onto me if you really get scared." Marik handed Ryou a helmet, and he put it on. He got onto the motorcycle a little reluctantly. When they started up the motor, Ryou grabbed onto the back of Marik's leather jacket with both his hands, and buried his face into it. He stayed that way until they finally came to a full stop in front of familiar apartment buildings. Ryou was so scared that he couldn't let go of Marik's jacket or even move except for his occasional shivering.  
  
 "It's all over now." Malik, who had taken off his helmet, put his hand on Ryou's shoulder, and tried to pry Ryou's hands off of his Marik's jacket. "Come on…" Malik pulled a little harder, and Ryou's hands finally came free, but he was still shaking. Marik got off, and they both helped him off, and pulled off his helmet.  
  
 They led him inside, and up to their apartment room on the third floor. They put down his bag of clothes and other things down on the ground beside the door, and led him to the couch. Malik gave him a glass of water, and a few minutes later he was hardly shivering, and could move on his own.  
  
 "I'm sorry…" Ryou took another sip of water, and handed it back to Malik.  
  
 "It's okay. Everyone's nervous on their first time on a motorbike." He smiled reassuringly, and Ryou smiled back.  
  
 "Why did you want to see my Ring in the first place?" He subconsciously fingered the golden chain around his neck, and changed the subject suddenly.  
  
 "Well, it's kind of a long story-"  
  
 "I love stories!" Ryou exclaimed, and smiled cutely.  
  
 "Alright… Marik, want to help me with this? I think he should know… After all, he does possess one of the Millennium Items…" Malik sighed.  
  
 "Yes, fine, whatever… I'm not going to tell him everything, though." Marik waved his hand in the air, and sat down across from both Ryou and Malik.  
  
 "Well, a long time ago there were several Millennium Items made for those, with certain qualities, to posses. Marik, here," Malik gestured at Marik, "got the Millennium Rod; the Millennium Item that let him control people and see into their minds. A Tomb Robber got the Millennium Ring, which allowed him to find his way out of anywhere or to locate things a lot more easily than Shadow Magic. And the Pharaoh of Egypt got the Millennium Puzzle." Malik paused to look at Marik, who nodded. "There are others, like the Millennium Ankh, but they aren't nearly as vital to this story as those three are."  
  
 "It happened several thousand years ago." Marik added before Malik continued.  
  
 "Anyway, there is a game you might know of, Duel Monsters," Ryou nodded "Well long ago it was not a game, it was more of a reality. Terrible things happened, and only the ones with the Millennium Items had any power to stop it all. Together, they could eliminate the evil from the Duel Monsters, and make sure that the world was once again safe. But some others thought it better to have all the items for themselves, and claim all the glory. And so not many of the people who possessed the items were friendly with each other. Most of them hated, even loathed the others." Malik paused to glance at Marik again, before he continued. "One thing lead to another, and they were locked up inside of their Millennium Items for a few centuries."  
  
 "Three centuries." Added Marik.  
  
 "For some reason they have reincarnations that live today. And each one of the reincarnations are supposed to come across the Millennium Item that had been theirs in their previous life, and once they have them the one who was trapped inside of it is released and freed from their prison inside of the Items." Marik took a deep breath as though he hadn't been breathing while he was speaking.

 "It is all true. Whether or not you wish to believe us is your choice." Marik kept his eyes on Malik, who was blushing slightly.  
  
 "Okay. And what you're saying is that there is someone inside of my Ring?" Questioned Ryou. He looked at both Malik and Marik.  
  
 "Was, to be precise. I'm guessing the moment that you put that Millennium Ring around your neck he was released to who knows where." Marik sighed, and broke his gaze with Malik, and looked over at Ryou.  
  
 "'He?'" Ryou looked at them suspiciously. He nearly jumped with fright when his vision went blurry and he saw what seemed like a distant memory. He saw himself standing on a hill, staring out at the night sky. But when he looked a little more closely, it was not he, himself, who he was seeing. It was someone else staring back at him with narrowed eyes.  
  
 He blinked a few times before the vision went away, and he noticed Malik and Marik looking at him curiously.  
  
 "You can bring your things into my room if you want." Malik suggested when he realised that there had been nothing but silence for the past few minutes. Ryou nodded. "It's down at the very end of the hall and to your left. You can't miss it." Ryou thanked them, grabbed his bag, and made his way down to Malik's room. He put his bag down on the floor beside the bed and sighed. He went back out to ask them where the washroom was, but quickly stopped himself when he saw Malik pinned to the wall by Marik, and the two were kissing passionately.  
  
 He blushed when he noticed that he would probably be intruding if he bothered them, so he went back and sat down on Malik's bed and sighed.  
  
 A few minutes later, Malik entered the room with slightly messed hair, and a faint tinge of pink on his face.  
  
 "Hey!" Malik greeted Ryou, and smiled down at him. "What did you want to do now?"  
  
 "Um…I-er-I… Well, I'm kind of tired now, I didn't sleep very well last night." Ryou smiled sadly, and looked up at Malik guiltily.  
  
 "You want to have a nap or something? That's okay! And if you wake up later on we can watch a movie or something!" Malik clapped his hands together, and helped Ryou unpack his few things. "You can sleep on the bed if you like!"  
  
 "No, I can sleep on the floor, I wouldn't mind." Ryou grinned.  
  
 "No, you're our guest, and I'm not that tired right now. So you can sleep on my bed, and I'll go out and watch t.v or something." Malik put Ryou's pillows on his bed. "Well, have a good sleep! And if you can't sleep or you wake up in a little while, just come on out, and we can watch a movie." Malik turned off the lights, and closed the door behind him.  
  
 "He's already going to sleep?" Marik appeared behind Malik, and startled him.  
  
 "Yeah, he looks pretty tired." Malik glanced at his door before he allowed Marik to lead him back to the couch in the living room.  
  
 Back in Malik's room, Ryou lay perfectly still under the covers. He hadn't bothered to change, and still had the Ring around his neck, his hand clutching it subconsciously. Within a matter of minutes, sleep claimed him, and his eyes drooped shut.  
  
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Yay! I finished Chapter 2!!! ^__^  
I feel like I'm floating on cloud #9 right now… *sighs happily*  
  
Ahhh… Life is good right now! I got a free computer game, I've got a bunch of ice cream in the freezer, I went to see Carmina Burana at the concert hall last night, it was awesome! Makes me wanna make a ballet type Yaoi fic for YGO! : ) And I'm all alone at my house writing for for my fics, and I couldn't be happier!!! XD And people are getting me a cd because I helped out with cleaning the house!!! ^__________________^  
  
I'M SO HAPPY! *HUGGLES EVERYONE*  
  
Except… My friend just left for a two-week trip, it makes me sad, I'm going to miss her!!  
  
To All Reviewers(Gomen ne for being so cruel to Ryou!):  
  
It'sHardToBelieve: Yep! More! I would never leave anyone hanging like that, with Ryou dead… ;_; I hated doing that to Ryou! I really did! Well here's Chapter 2! Thx for reviewing!  
  
CherryRedHead:   
  
I know! He's one of my fav. characters, too! I was crying when I killed him, it was that hard for me…! Eep! *hides from Bakura* Here's the seconds chapter! I hope ya like it! Aaawww! *cries* I can't believe I killed him! *runs away from Bakura, crying*  
  
Hee hee, sure! Go ahead! I understand, most of my friends stalk guys at school, too! -_-' And I am pretty sure that the guys are on to them, because they try to avoid my friends now! Yeah! No deaths! I couldn't bare to kill anyone else! Not after being so cruel to Ryou! Yay! *huggles* Thanks for Reviewing!!!  
  
Spiritual Winds: Awww! I'm sorry! I didn't want to kill him, I really didn't! Here's the second chapter! Hope ya like it! Thank you for your review! ^_^  
  
Jou: Heh heh, someone needs to calm Bakura down! ^-^ I have no idea who wouldn't like it, except.. I can't believe I killed Ryou! Eep! Thanks for reviewing!!!!  
  
Child of Insanity: Aw! Gomen nasai! Here's Chapter 2! Hope you like it! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Misura: I know, eh? They're an awesome couple! ^_^ Aw, I'm sorry for doing that, I really am! Heh heh, yeah, Bakura shouldn't worry, he'll be reunited with his light soon enough! Yeah, it was odd… Here is Chapter 2!! I hope you like it!! Arigato for reviewing!  
  
reaper-from-heaven: Yep! I would never want to keep them apart! That's just so cruel! Thank you for reviewing!  
  
Jfreak: Thanks!!! -^_^- And thank you for reviewing!  
  
THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING!!! ^_^  
  
Anyway, Please R&R!!!!!! *huggles everyone, and looks around with chibi eyes again*


	4. A Familiar Stranger

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**The Other Half (Of Me)**  
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Chapter 3 – A Familiar Stranger

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 Ryou woke up in a cold sweat. He knew that feeling. He was scared, just like every other night he had had that dream. The one that he could never really remember. Ryou sat up, and looked up at the alarm clock that was beside Malik's bed. It read '11:00 PM.'  
  
 He got up and out of Malik's bed. He didn't feel that well anymore, and his hand found its way to his stomach. He wanted to go home.  
  
 He pushed the door open, and found his way to the couch, where Malik and Marik were sitting and talking quietly to each other.  
  
 "Hey, Ryou!" Malik exclaimed as he noticed Ryou standing there.  
  
 "Hi…" Ryou mustered up enough energy to smile.  
  
 "What's wrong?" Malik looked at him suspiciously.  
  
 "I-I don't feel well, I'd like to go home…" Ryou looked at them sadly.  
  
 "Oh, well we could give you a ride if you want."  
  
 "I'd rather walk. If you don't mind." Ryou said quietly, remembering how horrible he had felt after being on the motorcycle.  
  
 "Alright, you want me to help you get your things together, then?" Ryou nodded, and Malik led him back to his room. Malik helped him shove his things back into Ryou's backpack, looked at him, and sighed. "Will you be alright walking home by yourself?"  
  
 Ryou nodded, and fumbled with the zipper on his bag. Malik took the bag from him, and zipped it up with a smile on his face.  
  
 "It was nice having you over, though, Ryou. When you feel better you can always come back or call us." Malik picked up a piece of paper and a pen, and wrote down his name and number on the paper. He stuffed it into Ryou's bag, and helped his newfound friend to the door. He walked him down to the front door of the apartment building, and they waved to each other and said their goodbyes before Ryou turned around, and walked down the sidewalk. He put his backpack on, and shivered as the cool wind picked up suddenly.  
  
 It was a cold, dark, and depressing night. Hardly anything made a sound except for the rare passing car, and the chattering birds in the trees above. Ryou held his hand on his Millennium Ring, and clutched his stomach with his other hand. He didn't feel well at all.  
  
 Ryou made it down the sidewalk all the way to the park before he collapsed down onto one of the many park benches. He groaned when the blood rushed up to his head, and his vision blurred slightly.  
  
 "All alone…" Ryou almost completely froze, when he heard what sounded like a whisper on the wind, except for his occasional shivering. The wind picked up a little bit more, and he rubbed his eyes warily. He was probably starting to hear things because he was getting sick. "Why are you all alone?"  
  
 "Who-Who's there?" He called out into the darkness, and felt like crying when he saw someone moving in the shadows behind him.  
  
 "Are you afraid?" A cloaked figure walked out of the darkness, and stopped beside the park bench, not looking down at poor Ryou.  
  
 Ryou couldn't say anything, he felt like someone had taken his voice away. He gulped, and inched away from the person.  
  
 They sat down on the bench, and grabbed his arm. He let out a cry, and tried his best to pull away but they were much stronger than he was. He started to cry, and stopped fighting back. He _was_ afraid.  
  
 "What's this? Where did you get it?" They demanded, their hood still covering their face. They grabbed Ryou's Millennium ring, and pulled him closer by it. Ryou felt like he was being choked from behind, and cough a few times in response. He gasped for air when he was finally let go, and cowered away from the person behind him, in fear. "Where did you get it??" They demanded, and pinned him to the seat of the bench.  
  
 Ryou felt his energy being drained away as he tried to get out of their grasp. He looked up into the cloaked figure's face, and gasped when he saw someone who looked familiar to him. He could barely see their face, but he was sure he had seen them somewhere before. As a car passed, the park lit up for a moment, and lit up both their faces. Ryou remained still, and the one above him let go of his victim.  
  
 "Where did you get it?" They asked him again, a little more gently than before. They sounded confused.  
  
 "My – my father-sent it t-to m-me…Itai…" Ryou gasped for air, but finally found his voice and answered them. The cloaked figure removed his hood to reveal what looked to Ryou was himself, only older looking and more muscular. He clutched his stomach, and let his head drop back down to the bench.  
  
 "What's your name?!?" They demanded.  
  
 "R-Ryou…B-Bakura…" Ryou felt like he would throw up at any second, and shut his eyes as tight as he possibly could. He no longer felt like resisting his captor.  
  
 "Ryou…" The man tested it out, and frowned. "Where do you live? Why are you here?"  
  
 "Not far… from here…" Ryou coughed out. "Went to… M-Malik's and M-M-Marik's place…" He trailed off, curled up into a little ball, and groaned.  
  
 "What?" The one above him gasped, and passed a hand over his face. "Where do they live?"  
  
 "I…I…" Ryou swallowed, and felt a wave of pain wash over himself. "…don't remember…" Suddenly he heard a voice call out into the park from somewhere behind him. The person above him mumbled something that sounded like 'Don't tell anyone you've been talking to me or I'll kill you.'  
  
 "Ryou! Where are you? You forgot this!" Ryou opened his eyes when he realised that it was Malik. The one who had been demanding answers from him had disappeared. Suddenly he saw a face lingering above his head. "Ryou? Are you alright?"  
  
 "Malik!" Ryou coughed out, and felt himself being pulled up into a sitting position.  
  
 "Are you alright? I told you that we could give you a ride home! It would have been no problem!" Malik frowned at him, and helped him stand up. "I'll walk you home, I know the way from here." Ryou shivered. "Are you cold? Here…" Malik pulled off his jacket, and wrapped it around Ryou's shoulders. He helped Ryou all the way to his house, giving him a lecture on how friends are supposed to be there for each other.  
  
 "Friends…?" Ryou mumbled weakly.  
  
 "Yes, that's what friends are for! I'd consider you my friend any day, Ryou, You're so nice!" Malik helped him up the steps to his house. Ryou pulled a key out of his pocket, and pushed it into the lock. He turned it, and pushed the door open. Malik helped him inside, and took off his shoes. He led Ryou up the stairs, and into his room.  
  
 "Thank you…" Ryou muttered as Malik pulled his jacket off, and helped him into bed.  
  
 "No problem, I just wish you had let us help you. We would have, gladly." Malik paused, and frowned in thought. "Who were you talking to in the park? I swear that I heard you talking to someone."  
  
 "I… I was talking to someone?" Ryou remembered the words that the man had told him. 'Don't tell anyone you've been talking to me or I'll kill you.' He didn't feel like dying at that particular moment.  
  
 "Well, maybe not. It was pretty windy, maybe it was something else." Malik tucked the blankets in around him. "I've got to get back to Marik or he'll think I've been abducted or something. I'll call you tomorrow to see how you're doing." He grabbed his jacket, and left Ryou's house.  
  
 Ryou heard the tree beside his house tapping the window that led into his room. To him it sounded like someone rapping on the glass, begging to be let in. He was terrified as he fell asleep, his stomach still aching.  
  
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Yeah, I know, this was a really short chapter, but I need to work on my other stories, as well! And if I don't update those soon… I'll be author meat!   
  
Eep! My parents hate me right now! _ And I feel soo soo bad… They were helping find a neighbour's lost dog! _ Same kind of dog as mine… _ And they're making me feel worse right now, the whole 'let's just ignore and give Sarah evil looks whenever she says something!' I swear! I'd go help if I wasn't dirty and unwashed…   
  
Thanks:  
  
_maedhros_: You think so? XD ^_^ Thank you! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
_RubySama_: Thank you!!! -^_^- I know, I cried when I wrote it!! Yeah, it'll all be better soon!!! ^_^ Thank you for reviewing!!!  
  
_CherryRedHead_: *grins* And your review made me so much happier!!! XD I know, he's maybe a little too innocent for his own good! ^.^ I an only laugh _with_ him, at Bakura's funny antics! Hee hee! Really? Aaaww! Heh heh! Your welcome! And THANK YOU for reviewing!!! *huggles and grins* No… *sighs* I'm still trying to finish that one -_-; *bangs head on desk* I'm hoping to have it up before the end of tomorrow!!! Thank you soooooooooooooooooooo much for reviewing!!!! ^______^ *catches anime plushies, and huggles them to death* Eep! Yeah, but Bakura should be happy by the end of this fic!!   
^-^ *grins*  
  
_A Thousand Paper Cranes_: Thanks!!! Thank you very much for reviewing!!! ^___^  
  
Thank you all for reviewing!!! **XD**  
  
_Please R&R!_


	5. Bakura King of Thieves

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**The Other Half (Of Me)**  
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Chapter 5 – Bakura: King of Thieves  
  
(Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or anything to do with it. ^_^)

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 Bakura spent a few long hours simply staring at the snow-white wall standing before him. There was nothing much to the room that he was in. The walls was so white they were nearly blinding, paintings of far away lands and market places hung in several different places on each wall (all equally spaced), there were two shelves completely full of books, and there were several books that didn't seem to fit and were leaning up against the bottom of the shelf. The couch was a dull grey colour, but quite soft and velvety. Two armchairs sat on either side of the couch, which faced away from the rest of the room, almost separating it into two different rooms. Everything was so neat and tidy, yet covered in such thick dust, that Bakura wondered if anyone had ever touched anything that room for more than a year.  
  
 He noticed that the television that was on a stand in front of the wall opposite of him was quite small. He surprised himself by all of his knowledge of the things around him. The day before he had been so confused by his surroundings, and had not known what _anything_ was, except for the people, of course. It had all been clear to him after his last encounter with the boy, Ryou.  
  
 "You're still here?" A soft, sweet voice broke him out of his thoughts, and he jumped slightly, startled by the sudden noise from behind himself. He stood up, and turned around. He looked down and noticed that the small boy's eyes were still half-closed, but still looking up at him all the same.  
  
 Bakura didn't know what to say, so he nodded and shrugged. He wasn't sure how to respond to the boy. His Ring was the thing that kept him there. But he didn't say anything.  
  
 Before he knew it, Ryou was sitting up, and struggling to stand up. "I can get you something to drink if you're staying…" He stood up on his shaky legs, but only made it about three steps before he collapsed to the ground. His body trembled slightly when Bakura knelt down beside him.  
  
 "I don't need anything." Bakura muttered. He felt so unsure of what to say every time he looked down into Ryou's big, dark brown eyes. He felt as though each time he gazed into them he was melting. Ryou reminded him of someone he had once known.  
  
 "Then why are you still here?" Ryou frowned. He was puzzled, and didn't know how to react around Bakura.  
  
 "I…I don't know. I'll leave, if you want me to go… but…" Bakura bit his tongue before he said any more. He didn't want Ryou to know more about him than he needed to. Especially the fact that he didn't really have anywhere to go, and staying there was the greatest gift he had been given in the past few days… besides the Millennium Ring.  
  
 "You can stay if you really want to… I – It's not often that I get so many visitors in such a short while." Ryou smiled gently, and Bakura melted right then and there. He felt like hugging the living daylights out of Ryou. But he wasn't that kind of person. Instead, he felt himself smile. Now that was something he hadn't done in a long time. Especially since he never had any reason to smile before that moment. "Would you like to stay?"  
  
 "I would like that very much." Bakura held out his hand, and Ryou grabbed it with all his might. Bakura easily pulled him up to his feet, and sat him back down on the couch.  
  
 "I would be a bad host to not give you something to eat or drink…" Ryou's face fell when he realised that he couldn't do either of those things, considering how helpless he felt.  
  
 "I'm neither hungry nor thirsty at the moment. And it wouldn't kill you to be waited upon by your guest, now, would it?" Ryou looked unsure, but Bakura smiled again. For some reason Ryou felt a little happier when he saw Bakura smile. It was as if he was seeing a beautiful golden sun setting just beyond the beautiful horizon for the first time.  
  
 "Iie, ano…" Ryou looked at Bakura guiltily.  
  
 "But what?" Bakura looked at him curiously.  
  
 "Nothing." Ryou mumbled, and closed his eyes.  
  
 "Why are you here by yourself?" Bakura narrowed his eyes slightly. It bugged him; he had been half-expecting to see one of Ryou's family members to open the door at any minute.  
  
 "My father is in Egypt..." Ryou mumbled quietly. "My mother and sister died." Ryou stated in an emotionless voice.  
  
 "Egypt…" Echoed Bakura. "My home was in Egypt."  
  
 "Really? You used to live there?" Ryou's eyes snapped open and widened.  
  
 "Yes, long ago. _Quite_ long ago." Bakura frowned.  
  
 "How long ago?" Ryou was curious as to why Bakura would say he lived there quite long ago.  
  
 "Several thousand years, to be precise. Those were dark, dark times. The pharaoh was horrible to the citizens, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but Pharaoh Yami actually saved a lot of Egypt by overthrowing his father from the throne." Bakura shuddered. "I hate them both. But his father… He was an evil man. Most of the people of Egypt were his slaves, and he made them work until they literally broke under the pressure." He absentmindedly ran his right hand over his left shoulder. "He didn't need that extra Pyramid built. It was under selfishness that he forced us to build that-that-that thing!"  
  
 "Several… Thousand… Years…?" Ryou paled, and stared disbelievingly at Bakura. "Pharaoh… Yami…wait a second…" He scratched the side of his head weakly until he gasped, his eyes wide. "Yami… He's one of Yugi's closest friends! Actually I think that Yami lives in his house with he and his grandpa. Wow, that's really a coincidence."  
  
 "Perhaps not." Bakura shrugged his shoulders. "Fortunately I escaped long before Yami overthrew him. Back then there were only a few kind of people. There was the Royalty, those who served the royalty, and thieves. I," Bakura started, a proud look on his face, "was a thief."  
  
 "A thief?" Ryou raised an eyebrow.  
  
 "Yes. Actually, I was a Tomb Robber." He sighed. "Marik and I were the two best damned Tomb Robbers in Egypt. They called me the 'King of Thieves.'"  
  
 "Marik? What? But…" Ryou didn't understand. "I know a Marik. He and Malik came over yesterday. They're awfully nice to me."  
  
 "Marik… Here? How?" Bakura looked at him, completely shocked. Ryou shrugged.  
  
 "How did you live there several thousand years ago? That's impossible!" Ryou frowned.  
  
 "I was trapped in the Millennium Ring a few thousand years ago. That's how." Bakura looked a little confused. "How is Marik here?"  
  
 "So you're one of the spirits of the Millennium Items! Wow! Malik and Marik were talking to me about it yesterday!" Ryou looked excited, and a fait tinge of pink appeared on his pale cheeks.  
  
 "How much did they tell you?" Bakura narrowed his eyes suspiciously.  
  
 "A lot. But I don't think that they told me everything. Just the basic history of the Millennium Items and their owners." Ryou's eyes were shining with awe. "You were a _King_ of Thieves?"  
  
 "Yes, of course." Bakura simply beamed. "I made a living off of it. It was the best thing I ever did with my life. Better than being a mindless slave to that Baka Pharaoh."  
  
 "Wow… A real life Egyptian! In my living room!" Ryou sighed dreamily.  
  
 "I'm not some inanimate object. And I'm still here, you can talk directly to _me_." Bakura sighed.  
  
 "Gomen," He laughed nervously, and Bakura shrugged his shoulders. "It's just so… Unbelievable!" Bakura chuckled. "If you were trapped inside the Millennium Ring for such a long time… Then you probably don't know much about today! And you probably don't have a place to sleep at night! Or any money Or-"  
  
 "I'm fine! Honestly." Bakura pushed Ryou back down onto the couch when he tried to sit up. Ryou's cheeks were flushed, and his face was full of worry. "I don't need anything. When I got this back… The knowledge of these times were given to me. I still don't know how, and I'm not quite sure why, either."  
  
 "But you have no money! And no place to stay!" Ryou looked at him. He was clearly concerned for the stranger.  
  
 "It doesn't matter." Bakura sighed impatiently when he Ryou tried to sit up again, and he ended up pushing him down again.  
  
 "You can stay here, then!"  
  
 "No, it would be too much to ask." Bakura muttered. "Especially from someone who lives alone."  
  
 "You could keep me company! I would love to have someone to talk to!! It'd be so fun! I haven't ever had anyone come over to my house before!" Ryou finally managed to sit up, and struggled against Bakura's hand that had kept him lying down. Bakura pulled his hand back in defeat.  
  
 "Alright." Bakura looked at him with an odd expression on his face. "Thank you."  
  
 "Now do you want something to eat or drink?" Ryou raised his eyebrows, and looked hopeful.  
  
 "No, I'm fine! But because of your hospitality, at least let _me_ help out?" Bakura smirked when Ryou sighed, and nodded. "You're probably tired. Tell me where your room is, and I'll bring you there."  
  
 Ryou gave him directions as best as he could, and Bakura carried him there in his arms. He lay him down on his bed and under his covers. Ryou sighed as the warmth spread across his body.  
  
 "Arigato…" Ryou murmured as he sunk further into the warmth that his bed brought hi body.  
  
 "It's no problem. Did you want me to stay?" Bakura looked at him, completely unsure.  
  
 "Only… if you…want…" Ryou trailed off, his eyes drooped shut, and he fell asleep. Bakura smiled, and sat down on the edge of Ryou's bed. For once he actually liked the feeling that smiling brought him. He sighed happily, slipped off of the side of his bed, lay down on the ground beside it, and fell asleep.  
  
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*Sorry for the long wait, but I haven't been getting much sleep the past while, and I've been so busy with schoolwork. _  
And ff.net froze part of my account for a while.*  
  
_important note_: If my account ever gets deleted, then you can check: for a complete backup directory of all my fanfics, and info. On where I might have another fanfiction account. Thanks!  
  
('_Special Note_' to people who like to **report stories** and others:  
My story does not contain lists of things. Nor is this entry composed entirely of author's notes(I am allowed to have small author's notes at the end and/or beginning of the story), polls, previews, challenges, Q&As, rants, opinions, or reviews of things/etc. This is _not_ a one or two liner. This isn't an MST (this is my _own_ writing, I did _not_ copy this story from anywhere, the idea for it came directly from my own mind, and I didn't add comments _in_ or _during_ the story.) This story is focused completely on _fictional_ characters! (which means that they are _not_ based on real life people!) I am not using this as a message board, nor am I asking any questions to anybody at all, or to my faithful reviewers, it is _not_ interactive. And I am not using this as a chat room. The 'submit review' button is not for anything other than submitting reviews,_ therefore I do not use them as a chat place!_ But I _do_ reply to my reviews. And furthermore this is _not_ a keyboard dialogue based entry.   
  
  
_R&R_


	6. Introductions

**The Other Half (Of Me)**

Chapter 6 – Introductions

(Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!... but I do own a deliciously yummy poster of Malik and his Yami in a delightful little pose! ...as well as some Yu-Gi-Oh suckers I bought at a store! Yay!)

A/N: I'm extremely sorry, I feel guilty for not updating this story in the past few months, but my computer crashed a while back. So all of my stories/fan fiction/other stuff was all completely erased from the hard drive. So It's a little difficult to keep track of which stories I'm updating now, but little by little I'm getting all the stories back on track. For anyone who was waiting for this or other stories to be updated, then I'm sooooo sorry! But I'm updating all this month. Even though I've been extremely busy. But I'm trying, so please don't give up on me! I'm trying my best!

Ryou woke up later in the day than he normally would, but he felt a lot warmer than he usually did, and so he didn't mind in the slightest. He rolled over onto his side, extremely comfortable under the covers. He nearly had a heart attack when he looked down and saw someone sleeping on the carpet next to his bed. But he was relieved when the one by his bed was only one of his newfound friends; Bakura. He recalled how terrified he had been when he had seen the stranger walking around in his house, but had been quick to accept him once his story had been told. Everything that had happened to him in the past couple of days was so strange yet made more sense to him than ever. He did admit that he was scared that Bakura had known his name, but what his other friends had told him made him understand that he was his other half. Or something like that. He grinned, slipped out of his bed and went downstairs without waking up the older boy.

He put on a kettle so that he could make some tea, and looked through all of his cupboards. He didn't have much else since Malik and Marik had visited him, so he took out the last slice of bread that there was and put it carefully into the toaster. He would give it to Bakura, since he knew that other one probably hadn't eaten in a while.

As he poured the boiled water into two small mugs and mixed the tea in with it, Bakura wandered down and into the kitchen, surprised at how much better the younger one seemed to be.

"Are you feeling all right now?"

"I feel much better." Ryou turned around, smiled at him, and handed him one of the mugs of tea. "I made you some toast, I figured that you'd be hungry." He buttered the toast, and put it one a tiny plate that he set down on the table.

"Thank you, but you shouldn't be making anything after being so sick. You should be resting." Bakura sat down in front of the toast, and frowned down at it. He had to admit, it looked quite tasty, and he hadn't eaten much of anything in the past while.

"Nonsense! I'm feeling better. And I though you might be hungry." Ryou sat down across from Bakura, and smiled cutely. Bakura gave in, and ate the piece of toast. It was delicious. So was the tea. Ryou sipped slowly at his, and chuckled when Bakura gulped his down. After their small breakfast, they found themselves chatting about random things. Bakura decided not to talk to the younger boy about the past, and kept the whole conversation on what was happening in present time. Even though Ryou seemed quite interested in his past.

"What about Malik and Marik... You mentioned them already a few times. Once when I first met you, and then again yesterday... And even today you've been talking about them. Why the fixation on them?" Bakura watched Ryou with interest.

"Well, they came over and paid me a friendly visit. One I've never had before. They're so nice and friendly. Even if Marik seems to be a little crazy sometimes. But they even offered me the chance to stay the night. I would have, had I not gotten sick, but..." Ryou trailed off and sighed.

"Are you sure you don't know where they live?"

"Well... I might have their number, I think that they left it in my bag. I never got the chance to really check." Ryou got up, and put their dirty dishes into the sink. He ran water over them for few minutes, then turned off the tap and walked over to Bakura. "Why?"

"I need to talk to them. Could you call them over here?" Bakura grabbed Ryou's arm gently, but let go when Ryou froze.

"Um... sure... just let me find my bag." Ryou was about to get it when the phone rang. He ran over to it, and picked it up with curiosity.

"Hello? ...oh, hi! Yes, I'm feeling much better, thanks. oh, no, don't worry, I was up anyway..." Ryou went silent for a few moments, nodding his head silently. "Okay, that would be nice! Oh, before I forget, he wants you and Marik to come over. Hmm? Oh, well he said that he knew you two, so I figured... Okay, I'll see you soon! Bye!" Ryou hung up the phone, and was about to go into the kitchen, but he nearly walked into Bakura. "Ah! You scared me."

"Sorry." Bakura smiled, and wrapped his arm around Ryou's neck. He led him to the couch, and sat him down. "You shouldn't be running around too much. You'll get sick again."

"But I'm fine! Really!" Ryou struggled to stand up, but Bakura kept his arm around his neck. He sighed in defeat, and leaned back. "Well, they're coming over, now. I wish you'd let me go get washed."

"Marik? And Malik?" Ryou nodded. "Okay. And no, you don't need to get washed. You'll probably end up getting sick again. And I can't let that happen."

"Why? Everybody gets sick every now and then." Ryou yawned.

"And I'm sure it's not that good for your body, to keep getting sick like this. Are you still tired? Why did you wake up if you're still tired?" Bakura pulled Ryou closer to himself, and looked up at the ceiling. He felt the need to be even closer to Ryou, to make him remember everything from before. He needed Ryou. And he was sure that, in time, Ryou would need him, too.

"I'm not too tired. And I got up because I thought you might like it if I made you something to eat and drink before you woke up..." He trailed off as he yawned again.

"You're too nice for your own good, Ryou. You really are." Bakura froze when he felt Ryou's body slump against his own. When he glanced down he noticed that Ryou was fast asleep against himself. He looked peaceful, and a small smile graced his lips as he snuggled into his newfound pillow.

Just then, somebody knocked at the door, nearly scaring Bakura to death. He reluctantly pulled away from Ryou and went over to the door. He pulled open the door, and was face to face with Malik and Marik, who looked at him suspiciously.

"Long time no see, Ishtar." Bakura greeted Marik, who stood there for a moment, and when he noticed the boy sleeping on the couch, he grinned.

"Likewise, Tomb Robber." Malik looked up at his Yami, then finally realized that the one standing in front of him was much taller than Ryou had been just the other day. He greeted the former Tomb Robber the only way he knew how. "Baka."

"Say that again." Bakura dared him, but Malik smiled cutely, and punched his shoulder gently.

"So, how's Ryou doing?" Malik dragged Marik inside by his arm, and Bakura closed the door behind them.

"He's asleep." Bakura stated, watching the boy with long white hair almost longingly.

"Has he remembered anything from the past yet?" Marik glanced sideways at Bakura, who shook his head. "Okay, good. And we can't rush him into remembering. He needs to do that on his own."

"I take it that really likes you so far, Bakura. You're still in his house, and he's asleep with you roaming around on your own." Malik earned a small smile from Bakura, who nodded. At that moment, Ryou stirred slightly in his sleep, and stretched out his arms, searching for the warmth that had been so close to him only a few minutes before. Bakura gestured for the two Egyptians to sit down on two free armchairs. Marik sat down in one, but Malik decided not to sit in the other. Instead, he sat down on Marik's lap. Bakura sat down next to Ryou, who snuggled up next to him. A look of satisfaction was on his face as he settled down. Bakura looked down at him curiously.

"Is there something going on here that we don't know about?"

"Shut up!" Bakura growled at them. The shouts that followed caused Ryou to wake up. He sat up slowly, and rubbed his eyes in a cute manner. When the other three realized that he was awake, they stopped and smiled at him. He was confused. He realized, then, that he had been having the same dream again. Only this time... He could remember more.

"Have a nice sleep, Ryou?" Malik grinned at him.

"Y-yeah, I think so." Ryou gripped the fabric from the couch quite tightly.

"You _think_ so?" Malik asked as Ryou shook his head in confusion.

"Well, I had that weird dream again... The one I have all the time... It was weird..." He realized that Malik and Marik and Bakura were all there and looking at him curiously. "Nevermind, it's nothing, I'm sure."

"No, you've got us interested in it. Tell us about it!" Malik shifted his weight on Marik, who closed his eyes and whispered something to Malik, who blushed and immediately stopped moving.

"Well... Alright, it can't hurt, I guess." He closed his eyes and tried his very best to remember. "I can't remember much of it... Only someone wearing old Egyptian clothing standing on a hill... He's looking up at the sky, and I think he's crying... That's pretty much all I remember." He reopened his eyes, and glanced at Bakura. It was then that he realized who it was in his dream. "It-it was you..." He whispered, and his jaw dropped open.

"Me? But..." Bakura looked at him suspiciously, then looked over at Malik and Marik who were both smiling softly. "Why me?"

"I don't know. But I've been having the same dream over and over again for the past while. I can't figure it out." Ryou scratched the side of his head, and was surprised when Malik spoke.

"Let's go for a walk!"

"What? Why?" Bakura glared at Malik, who stuck out his tongue, and smirked.

"That would be fun!" Ryou smiled suddenly, forgetting about his dream completely, and he jumped up to his feet. "Unless you don't want to go, Bakura?"

"No, no, it's not that at all. Come on, let's go." He stood up, grabbed Ryou's arm, and pulled him over to the door. The others got up, and they all put on their shoes before leaving the tiny little home all alone.

The sun was shining, and everything outside was beautiful, and yet nobody seemed to be outside. It was oddly empty all around except for the occasional person who was walking their dog around.

The four of them talked about random things all the way to a large park down by a small lake. It was close to Malik's and Marik's apartment, or so they told the two white-haired boys. A nice little pathway made its way across the whole park, and was surrounded by trees. A tiny clearing was in the middle of the park, beside the water, where a few benches were located. They all faced the water.

"Oh, it's so nice here! I never knew this place ever existed!" Ryou sat down on one of the benches, and grinned happily. He turned to where Malik and Marik sat. "Thanks for taking us here. I really appreciate it."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Malik smiled to the other boy. "And besides, no one ever really comes here. Don't know why, but I don't think that people realize it's here anymore. Not many people event take walks here anymore. Especially not at night."He winked to Marik, who smirked.

"Thank you." Ryou smiled thankfully, and turned his attention to the water that was only a few meters away. He realized that Bakura was standing behind the bench, staring out at the sky. "You can sit down if you want, Bakura. There's room enough for two."

Bakura was pulled from his thoughts, and he put his hand on Ryou's shoulder for a moment as he glanced out at the water. After a moment, he walked around the bench and sat down next to Ryou.

"Thank you all." He said after a while. His gaze had dropped down to where the water would wash up tiny pieces of wood on the shore, then pull them back in. He was entranced by how beautiful everything there was. "No, really, thank you all, very much. It's not that often that I find so many people that are nice to me. I really do appreciate it, a lot. More than I can really say. I just wanted to say thanks. You all mean a lot to me. It's so nice to have such wonderful people by my side." He looked up and when he realized that they were all looking at him, he smiled reassuringly. "Thanks."

Slowly, the other three smiled at him, and soon they were all lost in their own thoughts, staring out at the beautiful water that sparkled in the sun. Ryou subconsciously moved closer to Bakura, and didn't really notice when Bakura moved closer to him, too.

No one really noticed how quickly the time had passed until Ryou was broken from his thoughts by how dark it had gotten. The sun was just hovering over the horizon, and beautiful colors were in the sky. Only a few clouds were near the sun. He sighed and smiled. It was a beautiful sight. His stomach decided to take that time to growl. He hadn't even realized that he hadn't eaten much in the past while. Or at all for a few months.

"Maybe we should be heading back now." Bakura mumbled as he shifted slightly and went to get up. It was then that he noticed that he and Ryou were sitting so close that their legs were touching. Ryou looked down and noticed it, too. He was quick to jump up and blush. He scratched the back of his neck nervously, then looked over at Malik and Marik. The two were cuddling affectionately. Malik was staring at him, and was laughing silently. Ryou didn't understand why he was laughing.

"Yeah, we should probably go."

"Wait!" Malik jumped up off of Marik, who was dragged up a long with him. "You two can come over to our place! I made some pizza this morning, and we've got lots left if you're hungry." Malik smiled happily, but Ryou was still confused.

"Pizza? You made pizza for breakfast?"

"Yep!" Malik smiled. "Wait... you don't mean to tell me that... that you've never had pizza for breakfast before?" Ryou shook his head. "You poor, poor soul! We'd better fix that, right Marik?" Marik grunted in response, and everyone headed back down the path and up a different sidewalk until they reached Malik and Marik's apartment. They ran inside and up to their apartment rooms, and were greeted by a wonderful smell of pizza.

"Malik made a _lot_ of pizza this morning." Marik mumbled as he patted his stomach. "But good pizza, mind you. _Really_ good." Marik sighed as they all found places to sit in front of the television. Marik lay down on the large couch, only leaving one arm chair open for both Ryou and Bakura. Malik smiled, and put the pizza into the microwave. Bakura and Ryou looked at each other for a moment.

"You can sit down, I'll stand." Ryou gestured to the arm chair.

"No, you should sit down, you look tired out."

"I'm fine!" Ryou and Bakura both sighed.

"Why don't you two just share the space of the chair? It's not like it's that small." Malik smirked over at Marik, who winked back to him. They all lapsed into silence, and the two silver-haired boys shrugged.

"After you." Ryou gestured to the chair, and Bakura growled. He sat down, and before Ryou could get away, he pulled him down onto his lap. Ryou tried his best to keep himself calm, but a faint tinge of pink appeared on his cheeks. He looked over at the blank television. He felt confused by the way he was feeling.

They waited in silence until the microwave finally beeped three times, and Malik simply beamed. He got out two plates, then the plate in the microwave, and put four slices on each plate. He closed the microwave, and went over to the others with the two plates. He handed a plate to Ryou and Bakura, then sat down on Marik's legs to eat his own.

"None for me?" Marik mused as Malik took a bite from his pizza.

"Not until you sit up like any normal human being would." Malik smiled and closed his eyes as he chewed on the piece of pizza. Marik growled, pulled his legs out from underneath Malik, and pulled Malik closer to himself. He leaned over, and grabbed a piece of pizza with a look of triumph on his face.

Ryou looked down at the pizza on the plat in front of himself, and felt suddenly quite nervous. Bakura, who didn't notice Ryou's current state, took a piece of pizza from the plate and ate it hungrily. Ryou reluctantly took one piece and nibbled at it ever now and then. He finally got comfortable around everyone, and when he was sure no one was watching him, he took large mouthfuls of pizza. He was finally eating. He was so happy that he leaned back into Bakura without really noticing, and finished a whole piece of pizza before anyone else could. He took another piece, and finished that one too, until he was too full. He sighed happily, and licked his lips.

"That was yummy, Malik! Thank you very much!" Malik beamed and finished his slice of pizza.

"Mmm..." Bakura moaned as he licked the tips of his fingers to clean the grease off them. "That was good." He put the plate on the coffee table in front of them.

Marik's hand crept up Malik's side, tickling the poor boy as he tried to finish the rest of the pizza. Marik pressed his lips against Malik's, and pushed him down against the bottom of the couch. Ryou looked at them for a moment before looking away. He always felt uncomfortable around people when they were being intimate with each other. The two boys finally pulled apart, but their eyes never left each other.

"Aw, jeez, you two. Get a room." Bakura looked at them in disgust as he noticed Marik licking cheese off his mouth. Ryou could somehow tell that he was only teasing them. Suddenly Bakura whispered into Ryou's ears. "We should go now."

Ryou nodded, but before he could stand up, Bakura got up, and held Ryou up with his arms. Ryou leaned back as he nearly fell forwards. Before he could steady himself Bakura pulled him over to the door, and they left the two lovebirds behind.

"They must really love each other." Ryou said, slightly dazed as Bakura pulled him outside and down the sidewalk. "They really seem in love."

"Yeah, they love each other a lot. Only sometimes they forget where they are and who's around." Bakura chuckled and finally slowed down, giving Ryou enough time to catch up completely to him, even though he still had Ryou's arm in his grasp.

"Did you ever love someone, Bakura?" Ryou glanced up at Bakura, who fell silent and stared off into the distance. Ryou sighed. "Bakura?"

"Yeah, I did." Bakura finally answered. He had been caught off guard by the question, and felt odd by saying yes. But it was the truth.

"Who was it?" Ryou's gaze never left Bakura's face. He was really curious who an Egyptian would haven fallen in love with. And when.

"It's a nice night. Nicer than the other night." Bakura glanced around, and never met Ryou's eyes.

"...Bakura?" Ryou looked down at the sidewalk as they walked back home. He suddenly felt bad for ever asking. Bakura must not have wanted to talk about whoever it was.

Neither of them spoke as they walked down the sidewalk, until they reached the tiny park that Ryou had met Bakura in before. He stopped, and startled Bakura, who stopped and looked back at him.

"It _is_ a nice night out." Ryou admitted, pulled his arm away from Bakura, and sat down on a bench that was several feet away. He leaned back and looked up to the sky. The stars were just starting to show up, and the sun had set completely. Bakura sat down beside him, and looked up. Ryou snuggled up to Bakura's side, and closed his eyes. He was surprised when Bakura wrapped his arms around Ryou, and pulled him closer. It was the perfect night. And Ryou was perfectly content just sitting in Bakura's arms. He couldn't understand it yet, but he was starting to feel as if it was all right and normal to be there. And he was starting to remember things that weren't completely making sense yet. But he was soon going to figure out what it all meant. Soon. But for now, he would settle with relaxing with the handsome new stranger.

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Yes! A new chapter! Completed! But don't worry, there will be much, much more. I think this chapter was just so cute! Well, to me, anyway.

Okay, I know I've already said sorry, but I'm going to say it again. I know how much it bugs people when authors just stop their stories in the middle and right when it's getting good. So I'm sorry, a million times over!!! ..{kicks self}..

Anyway! I hope this was long enough for you! I'll be sure to update again as soon as I can(don't know when that'll be, I'm going on a sort of road trip soon, and I'm still updating the other stories as well ).

THANKS TO ALL THE REVIEWERS((huggles all reviewers)):

_CherryRedHead_: Yeah, poor, poor Ryou... what am I doing to him? ((sulks)) But he's okay now!

I'm really glad that you like it! Ah! Evil Bakura? Where??? ((hides)) But I'm extremely sorry for making you wait so long!!! - But here's yet another chapter! sorry sorry sorry! But thank you very, very, very, very much for reviewing!!!!!! ((grins))

Hee hee hee... yeah, Bakura is reminded of himself when he looks at Ryou. They do look a lot alike! heh heh. I think he was probably just as cute and as innocent as Ryou was, once! ((smiles)) But... I'm not saying that Bakura isn't cute ;) Ooo, maybe we can convince Ryou to convince him to do it! ((grins)) I bet he couldn't resist cute little innocent Ryou!! But I'm hoping that Bakura won't try to come after me instead. Although I think he's calming down now, considering the story's getting better and better for him. ((winks at Bakura)) I'm glad that the update made you happy! And I m STILL sorry for not updating more

_feh_: Yeah, well, as mysterious it can get, I think.

_Anime Crazed_: Thanks! But, sorry for not updating sooner!

_otherhalfofthestory?_: Yes! More story! please forgive me for not updating It was actually your review that came to me in my e-mail this morning that reminded me about my updating of all the stories. Thanks!!!

I'm still very sorry for the long wait! ((kicks self))

Sorry!!! But hopefully you'll forgive me soon! -

((eats some Hi Chew candy)) Mm... I went to an Anime Convention (Ai-Kon) just a while ago, and it was so awesome! I got to eat Japanese candy, drink Japanese drinks, and their chocolate covered Pocky was excellent! ((grins)) Also I bought an excellent poster of Malik and his Yami... mmm... they didn't have any of Bakura and Ryou ((sulks)) oh well, I'm content after that anime convention. It was excellent!!!!!!!!!!

_Please R&R_


	7. Memories

**The Other Half (Of Me)**  
  
_Chapter 7 - Memories  
_  
(Disclaimer in my profile...)

* * *

Yep! That's right! I'm back and better than ever! grins I was talking to my newfound boyfriend, online, and I realized that I had lots of ideas for this story again.  
As well as other stories. I've finally found time to update a lot more often.  
But my schedule is still quite busy. With all the school/home work, art lessons, clarinet lessons, and the job I'm going to get.  
I think I can update this story once a week, that might be easy enough to handle!  
You can hate me, if you want, for not updating for the longest time. But I have good reasons for not updating.  
Reasons: Friends' mom died, homework, computer problems, art/clarinet lessons, lack of time on computer, somewhat depressed attitude for a while, thoughts about life(what it's about, how I fit into the world, if I'm important enough to even be here, etc.), and lack of ideas for this story. As you can see, a long list(there were other reasons, but... I'll just leave it at that for now.)  
  
And this story marks the beginning of my uploading/updating frenzy. I'll be updating ALL of my stories(except the finished ones, of course.) now. -  
  
My energy has been renewed by the Pocky that I have obtained from a store near my clarinet lessons! YAY! Ir-Ben, it's called, I think. It's an awesome store. Full of anime and j-treats. Mmmmm, I got some Ramune candies and Hi Chew, too. But they didn't have any Ramune drinks(the glass bottle ones, anyway), which was disappointing.  
  
On with the kawaii-ness! I hope you like this chapter, I tried hard to make it a good one.

* * *

Ryou yawned and stretched as he rolled over onto his side. He was lying in bed, fully clothed. He was getting into an awful habit of doing that, lately. He wasn't very happy with himself for doing it, but he had been quite tired lately. He rubbed his eyes and rolled onto his back once more.  
  
Weird things had been happening to himself for the past few days. First he had gotten a special gift from his dad from Egypt. It was a beautiful golden Egyptian item. Which was later given the name the 'Millennium Ring' by his two new friends that he had met the very same day. They told his its history, and he had been a little reluctant at first to believe them, but now he was willing to believe anything. Except, maybe, it somebody told him he'd won a million dollars over the phone. He wasn't that gullible. Then he met Bakura, a King of Thieves from the same Era as the Millennium Ring and an evil Pharaoh who was overthrown by his own son, Yami, who became Pharaoh Yami. It was so much to take in at once, but he had managed pretty well. But his body didn't appreciate the lack of sleeping, and he had gotten sick as punishment. He felt much better, at least.  
  
Now not a moment went by when he wasn't thinking about Bakura, his new guest. He'd had strange dreams of the boy for some time now, only he hadn't realized it until a while after they met. Now the dreams became more and more vivid each time his eyes closed and he fell into unconsciousness. Just once he wanted to have a dreamless sleep, so he could give his mind a break. Different visions of different people and even himself from a different time somewhere in a desert often filled his mind. He didn't know what to think of all of it. They seemed liked memories, but they were so distant that they seemed almost like long-forgotten fantasies or random thoughts and ideas intertwining to create beautiful pictures in his mind. He would give anything to just stop thinking about Egypt for one second. Just one second, that's all he wanted. To be away from everything, go back to before, like nothing had ever happened. But he was out of luck. It wasn't as if he hated everything that was happening, he just disliked being forced to think and see the same things over and over again. It was starting to give him a headache.  
  
He blinked a few times, then stared up at the ceiling. He was so tired, and his body needed the sleep after being so sick. But he didn't want to sleep. He didn't want to see those dreams anymore. Every time he woke up in a cold sweat, with tears running down his face. He sighed, and closed his eyes again.  
  
Another image passed by his eyes, startling him. It was different than the others. He had seen several people doing something, all looking around. He focused on the image, and suddenly he felt as though he was being sucked into the event. Everything got warmer, and he could hear the voices of three males. A faint sound of wind was in the background. He frowned, and focused on the voices. Suddenly he was standing in the middle of who-knew-where, staring at three men who were wearing long black robes and fabrics that covered their faces. They were looking down at something. Or rather someone.  
  
Ryou opened his mouth to speak, but felt somewhat paralyzed. He got scared, and started to panic. He wanted very much to be back in his room, staring up at the ceiling.  
  
"Yep, this looks like the one."  
  
"You sure? He looks a lot younger and smaller..."  
  
"Yeah, I'm definitely sure. You know any other albinos in Egypt?"  
  
"No, good point. Should we take him back to the Pharaoh?"  
  
"Nah, why bother? He's dead. Dead people don't pose a threat."  
  
"What about zombies? He could become a zombie, and then-"  
  
"A necrophiliacs dream, heh heh."  
  
"Don't bring up my wife. Luci isn't the most normal woman in the world. But we love each other. And she loves me."  
  
"Or whoever brings home money for the expenses."  
  
"You two disturb me. We should go back to the Pharaoh and give him our report in person. He won't believe one of us. But three, he will for sure."  
  
The three went silent, and nodded to each other. They walked away from whomever it was, and headed out into the middle of the desert and towards a large and sandy hill.  
  
Ryou suddenly felt the blood rush back to his body, and he stumbled forward, only to trip over two half-covered in robes legs. Pale legs. Ryou caught his balance at the last second, and walked over to the head of the body. When he looked down, he nearly had a heart attack. His face, somewhat sunken in, stared back at him. He was glad that the eyes weren't open. That would creep him out. He inspected the body a little more, and noticed a single white flower stuck in the pale and bony hands that protruded from the robes that were wrapped around his body. He knelt down, and frowned sadly at the face below himself.  
  
Suddenly they wrinkled eyelids shot open, and two bright white and chocolate brown eyes stared up at him, piercing through his skin and penetrating his mind, body, and soul. He stumbled backwards, and struggled to stand up. Two weak arms grabbed his right arm and pulled him down.  
  
"Let me go..." He cried out, terrified at what was going on. He wanted to go back home, to cry into his pillow. What frightened him about what was happening was that it felt very, very real. And he was afraid that it was indeed real. A struggled gasp for air came from the once lifeless body beside him.  
  
"Boy..." The corpse breathed out with much effort. "Do something..." There was another struggled breath, and the arms pulled Ryou closed to the face. Ryou held his breath, and felt tears stinging his own eyes. He was horrified when he was dull, lifeless eyes staring back at him. "Remember!" The last word echoed out throughout his mind, and he didn't realize that he had been let go until he fell backwards and towards the sandy ground just beneath. He closed his eyes. He never hit it. When he reopened his eyes, he was falling in a swirl of colours. He found that if he concentrated hard enough on certain colours, he could see faces and places, mostly in the deserts, and sometimes voices echoed out into the air. After a while the colours became too blurred, and melted together until there was nothing left around him but darkness. That's when his body hit something.  
  
He sat up quickly, his heart racing, and calmed down when he saw his familiar walls staring back at him. He lay back down, and clutched his blankets close to his body. It had seemed so real. The people, what they were talking about, the dead body, falling, the memories... It all started to make sense in that instant. Parts of what had happened, he had seen in his dreams before. And what the men said, they sounded like servants for the Pharaoh or something similar to that. He rubbed the side of his head when a headache made itself known.  
  
His eyes felt heavy with sleep, but he managed to fight it off, not wanting to go back to a place like that in his dreams ever, ever again. He glanced at a clock just beside his bed, and groaned. It was three o'clock. PM. He pulled the blankets around himself, and slowly pushed himself off of his bed. He walked out of his room, down the hall, and down into the kitchen, the blankets around himself dragging slightly on the ground. When he got there he was greeted by the smell of hot chocolate. He smiled when he saw Bakura sitting down at the table, looking down at pictures in a magazine. He was so immersed in the interesting pictures and colours and people that he didn't notice Ryou until he heard the sound of a mug being set down on the table.  
  
Bakura looked up, and watch Ryou sit down in the chair, covered in layers of blankets, with a flushed face. Ryou took a sip of hot chocolate, sighed with relief, and sunk down further into the chair. Bakura looked at him with a blank face.  
  
"What's with the blankets? Are you alright?" His voice was music to Ryou's ears. He liked hearing it better than the voice of a dead person.  
  
"Mmhmm. I'm fine. Just tired and quite lethargic, that's all." He took another sip of the warm substance, and smiled happily. That quickly changed when he remembered what he had been thinking about before. "Bakura... may I ask you a question?"  
  
"Sure." Bakura closed the magazine, and looked up at Ryou. All of his attention was completely focused on the boy. He had a mug of hot chocolate held by both of his hands.  
  
"Well... Um... If you existed thousands of years ago.... And you're here today.... Could that mean that I may have existed as well? I mean, that somebody like me might have been alive when you were? Or does that make any sense at all to you?" Ryou looked down at his mug, and jumped when he heard the sound of another mug being put down on the table, hard. He looked up, and saw that Bakura was staring down at the drink, with an odd look on his face, as if he had seen a ghost or something unbelievable in the cup.  
  
"Bakura...?" He received no answer, and his shoulders slumped forward slightly as he looked down into his own drink. He suddenly felt sick again, and felt bad for taking so much hot chocolate. He still had a half of the cup left. He stole a glance at Bakura for a split second. Bakura looked absolutely miserable. He felt bad for asking, but he saw nothing wrong with his answer at all.  
  
He got up, put the cup in the sink, and suddenly a wave of pain passed over his body, and he started to shiver uncontrollably. He tried to cry out for help, or grab hold of anything to steady himself, but before he could, his body hit the ground, and he passed out, overwhelmed by visions of somebody clutching a smaller body to themselves. When he came to, a blurry thing moved in and out of his view. Finally he shook away the feelings, and everything came back into view. He shivered again when he remembered what he had seen. The same dead body. In a man's arms. Both were extremely pale. With silver hair. He shivered again, and struggled to sit up.  
  
"Ryou, my god! You nearly gave me a heart attack! Are you alright?" Bakura's face came into Ryou's view, and Ryou cried with relief in his mind. He couldn't find his voice to reply, but nodded weakly. "You just fell to the ground. There wasn't any warning. I though you..." He pulled Ryou up into his lap, and held him close. They stared at each other. Finally Ryou felt everything come back to him, and he started to cry. Bakura rocked him back and forth in his lap, and smiled sadly at the boy in his arms.  
  
"I-I keep seeing things." He mumbled after a few minutes. "Like my dreams. But more realistic."  
  
"Seeing things? What things?"  
  
"Like deserts, small towns and villages, pyramids..." He trailed off, and wished he could just forget all of it. He cleared his voice, and continued. "I saw people, too. People wearing scary black outfits, robes, and me. I think I saw myself. And you, too. But I don't understand any of it. I really don't, and I wish I did." He choked back more tears, and closed his eyes.  
  
Both of them stayed silent for some time, content to stay in each others arms, content to be near each other. Content to forget everything altogether, and to focus on the little less important things, like the things that didn't matter. Like their feelings towards one another. Not that they would admit it just yet. Finally, they spoke again.  
  
"You should rest a bit." Bakura carried him back to his bed, but when he tried to leave, Ryou caught his arm.  
  
"Please don't leave me here all alone." One look in his eyes, and Bakura couldn't resist. He sat on the edge of the bed as Ryou drifted off to sleep.  
  
"Sweet dreams, hikari." He chuckled at the old nickname that he had given Ryou many centuries ago. "_Sweet dreams._"

* * *

(I hope that was long enough for everyone )  
  
It's 3 AM right now, so I hope you'll let me get away with not replying to your reviews this time. But I'll update the chapter later on with responses. I give you my word. And if I don't before... oh... let's say... Wednesday, you can e-mail me with nasty comments, or threaten me or something. I'll really try to update a lot more often. I will! smiles  
  
But for now I must sleep. In...seven hours I'll be meeting up with my boyfriend for the first time! I'm so excited and nervous! Wish me luck, everyone! (Let's hope that I can convert him into an Anime fan! That would be great!)  
  
Also: Pocky, Ramune, Hi Chew, and plushies for all! hands them all out  
  
Seeya!  
  
_Please R&R_  
  
-Sarah Harvey 


	8. Piecing Together a Puzzle

**The Other Half (Of Me)**

_Chapter 8 - Piecing Together a Puzzle_

A/N: Hey guys, long time no writing! :) It's been a crazy last few years and as I find myself moving once again, I also feel the need to write something. So, this is the result of that need! Writing is so familiar to me, and at times like this my writing makes me feel whole. I know it's short but I hope you enjoy it regardless, and don't feel like killing me for my long absence.

* * *

Ryou awoke with a feeling of sadness that pulsated through his extremities, his veins, and finally up to his heart where he could feel an overwhelming amount of emotional pain. He had had a vivid dream again while he slept; this time it was different than all the others. He could remember everything.

In this particular dream he was a pale, frightened child amidst a claustrophobic sea of giant tanned adults in the middle of a village square. He could distinctly remember the awful smell of excrement from somewhere nearby, mixed with a wonderfully exotic, intoxicating scent. He let go of a younger girl's hand for a brief moment in order to find the origin of the smell but when he turned back around she was gone: gone forever.

Ryou wasn't sure that he knew what the dream meant, but he was sure that the younger girl had been important to him in his past life. '_Past life..._' Ryou let the words linger in the foreground of his mind for a few moments before he sat up in bed.

"Hikari." A deep voice caught his attention and he glanced up to see Bakura, who stood in the doorway to his room.

"Light?" Ryou closed his eyes and shivered. "You called me that." He opened his eyes once more. "A long time ago. Didn't you?"

"What do you remember?" Bakura shifted his weight to his left foot and folded his arms across his chest. His face held a kind of sadness to it.

Ryou waited a few seconds before he dared to reply. The last few days had been so confusing for him. His life had been so simple. He lived alone in his home for nine months out of the year. For three months his father would come home and spend most of his time locked up in his room deciphering ancient passages found in long forgotten tombs and decaying pyramids. He had a few acquaintances at school, a boy named Yugi among them, but no actual friends. He didn't feel the need for much company. Books were there for him when he wasn't working odd jobs around the city. But recently? He suddenly had two strange boys enter his life who claimed that they knew all about a mysterious artifact sent to him by his father. The two boys became his 'friends' in a matter of hours and he couldn't have wanted anything more.

However it didn't stop there. A handsome stranger with Ryou's own looks came out of nowhere and suddenly his world was upside down. He had memories of someone else's life; He had strong, confusing feelings for the stranger; He had no idea what to do anymore. He felt like he had been split in two. '_What do I remember? Well... I remember..._'

"Everything."

Bakura lowered his eyes and leaned against the frame of the door. He licked his lips and sighed. "That's a start, I guess."

"A start? I really don't know what's going on, 'Kura. I don't know what to think or feel anymore. I don't know who I am, or who you are. I don't know who I was." Ryou choked back a sob and rubbed his eyes impatiently. He had used a nickname his other self had used once upon a time, and it made him feel different.

"You're you."

"But I'm not."

Bakura walked over to his bed and sat down lightly on the edge. He locked eyes with Ryou and cocked his head to the side.

"You're the same as you were yesterday and the day before that. You have soft white hair, beautiful eyes, a delicate face, a father and a home to stay in. You haven't changed."

"But I feel different. I feel..."

"You feel?" Bakura prompted him gently and rested his hand on Ryou's knee as he spoke.

"I feel alive." Ryou shivered slightly. "And it feels strange." He grabbed a hold of Bakura's hand and squeezed it gently. He opened his mouth and spoke in a quiet whisper. "I don't know what to do."

"Just give it time. You aren't the person you used to be."

"Used to be?" Ryou frowned and withdrew his hand. "I used to be myself. Now I'm somebody else. I'm this person who was crazy in love with you thousands of years ago, and I'm this person who's never met a person to love yet."

"I'm sorry. This is hard for me, and I know it must be hard for you too. I... I've been feeling a lot of things lately. A lot of pain and anger and excitement. A lot of disbelief, that I would be reunited with you after so many years. But it's true, you aren't the young one I made deep connections with all those years ago. You are your own person. You have survived on your own for so many years. You're strong."

The word 'strong' made Ryou's heart skip a beat and his cheeks flushed several shades of pink. It meant a lot to him.

"You really think so?" Ryou drew a shaky breath and gripped the sheets on his bed. "I-I don't think that's-"

"I do. Don't you ever tell yourself otherwise." Bakura gave Ryou a small smile and squeezed his knee gently, reassuringly. "And you know what else? I think that makes you different from a lot of other people I've met in my life."

"What was it like? Being a tomb robber?" Ryou could vaguely remember being told a long time ago, but he was someone else back then. This time he was a whole new person and this new part of himself wanted to know what it was like, so he could hold onto it forever as his own memory.

Bakura closed his eyes for a moment and smirked, clearly happy to recall his past. Ryou was not as happy to do so but the minute he immersed himself in Bakura's eyes he let go of all ill feelings and felt whole again. For the moment he was Ryou Bakura: full-time student and part-time employee with a joyous smile and a quiet of happiness.


End file.
